Combination ski pants hanger and sales information display device

ABSTRACT

A ski-pants hanger comprising a substantial C-shaped frame member having an upper leg for hook-over engagement with a hanger support rod and provided with a reinforcing rib which defines an elongate planar upper display surface for removably supporting printed sign product and pricing information.

United States Patent Conger I [4 1 Aug. 22, 1972 COMBINATION SKI PANTS HANGER 3,112,050 11/1963 Eason ..40/322 AND SALES INFORMATION DISPLAY 1,348,952 8/1920 Landry ..40/322 [72] :)EVICE D d L FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS t f gjff 3 233 Tennessee 1,429,798 12/1968 Germany ..223/95 408,341 9/1966 Switzerland ..223/95 [22] Filed: Nov. 24, 1969 21 A v Primary ExaminerRobert W. Michell l PP NO 879,053 Attorney-Townsend and Townsend 52 0.5. CI ..'.40/322, 223/95 57 ABSTRACT A ski-pants hanger comprising a-substantial C-shaped ,frame member having an upper leg for hook-over engagement with a hanger support rod and provided [56] References Cited with a reinforcing rib which defines an elongate planar UNITED STATES PATENTS upper display surface for removably supporting 3,445,045 5/1969 Panning ..223/95 pnmed product? pncmg mnformanon 3,024,953 3/1962 OKeefe ..40/322 2 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures FIG '3 INVENTOR fi DAWD L. CONGER l3 '5 BY FIG 6 "WWMEFW ATTORNEYS COMBINATION SKI PANTS HANGER AND SALES INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICE The present invention relates to an improved skipants hanger of a type particularly adapted for use by retail stores to suspend ski pants on sales racks.

Conventional ski pants are constructed with an elastic strap or band sewed to opposite sides of the bottom extremities of each pant leg so that in use the elastic straps encircle the underside of the users feet to hold the ski pants inside the boots. The elastic straps which are normally provided on ski pants are most often used to suspend the pants from hangers when not in use. It has been reasonably common practice to use generally C-shaped hanger supports in retail stores from which ski pants can be suspended by the elastic straps and toothbrushes the pants hang down from the hangers so that the belt and seat portions of the pants are normally suspended just above the surface of the floor.

It is also usualto find the brand name tags stitched to the garment adjacent the belt or waist portion of the pants. As a consequence, when the pants are suspended from the hangers in the manner above described, it is necessary for either the retailer or a potential customer to either remove the pants from the hanger in order to obtain visual access to the tags displaying the garment size and price information, or the individual has to bend over in an awkward and uncomfortable position near the floor in order to make such an inspection.

There are various brands and types of generally C- shaped ski-pants hangers sold on the market today for use by retailers. Many of the pants hangers are supplied by the manufacturers of the ski pants themselves as a convenience or gratuity to the retailer. Generally these types of give-away items are made of relatively inexpensive plastic and because of their fragility occasionally break and cause the store owner inconvenience. One particular point of weakness is at the upper hook portion of the hanger.

The present invention resides primarily in the concept of providing a more or less C-shaped ski-pants hanger in which the upper hook part of the hanger is provided with a relatively wide reinforcing rib or flange which defines an upwardly facing planar sales information display surface for removably supporting printed sales information material pertaining to the specific pair of ski pants which the particular hanger is supporting within the sales rack. The enlarged rib or flange embodying the concept of the invention not only provides a rigid reinforcing structure of a type generally lacking in the prior art, but simultaneously and concurrently functions to provide a means for displaying product and pricing information in the most convenient and readable location within the sales rack namely below eye leval and facing upwardly from the top of each pants hanger.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings inwhich similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing in fragmentary phantom lines the manner in which ski pants may be supported from the device.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing further how the upper display surface is operable to support printed product and price information labels.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of same.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, and as shown in FIG. 1, a ski-pants hanger embodying the present invention may be formed generally C-shaped in side elevation. The C-shaped frame may be considered as comprising generally an upper leg portion 11, a side section 12 and a lower leg portion 13. The upper leg 11 is formed with an arcuate underside such as indicated at 14 which functions in conventional fashion to hook over a rod in a sales rack or any'conventional closet type hanger rod.

The upper leg 1 l is further provided with an integral reinforcing rib or flange portion indicated generally at 15 which, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 particularly provides an upwardly facing planar sign or label display and supporting surface. 7

FIG. 3 specifically illustrates how printed product information material in the form of pressure sensitive or gummed labels 16, 17 and 18 can be removably applied to the upper display'surface of the hanger. It is apparent that the particular sign displays or labeling would be applicable to the particular'pair of ski pants which each hanger respectively supports in the sales rack and in the examples shown might indicate the brand name, the pants size, and the sales price.

The entire hanger may be formed of an integrally molded piece of plastic, although the scope of the invention is not limited to any particular material from which the hanger can be manufactured and which could include in certain instances and if so desired, the use of metal or wood, for example.

The lower leg 13 of the hanger is bifurcated, defining in effecttwo parallel pants hanger support sections 13(a) and 13(b) each adapted to support the elastic strap of one leg of a pair of ski pants (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1) in the manner heretofore briefly described.

In FIG. 2, it is seen how the upper surface of the reinforcing flange and display surface 15 can be conveniently partitioned into several areas by the means of V-shaped grooves or channels 19 and 20, formed into the material itself. The purpose of the V-shaped channels or grooves is to provide a convenient means for stripping with ones thumbnail the gummed signs or labels after they have served their purpose prior to replacement of new labels. The grooves or channels 19 and 20, however, are shallow and narrow enough so that substantially any size or shape gummed or pressure sensitive label within the maximum dimensions of the display surface can be applied directly over the recesses or grooves 19 and 20 if so desired.

Although the present invention is described in some detail for purposes of illustration and example, it is un derstood that the invention is limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A combination ski-pants hanger and sales information display device comprising a hanger frame, said frame comprising a substantially C-shaped member including an upper leg having an arched underside for hooking engagement with a hanger support, a side member depending from said upper leg, and a bottom leg member extending laterally from said side member for suspending ski pants therefrom; said upper leg provided with a reinforcing rib defining an elongate, substantially flat upper display surface for removably supporting printed product and pricing information, said upper display surface being partitioned into a plurality 

1. A combination ski-pants hanger and sales information display device comprising a hanger frame, said frame comprising a substantially C-shaped member including an upper leg having an arched underside for hooking engagement with a hanger support, a side member depending from said upper leg, and a bottom leg member extending laterally from said side member for suspending ski pants therefrom; said upper leg provided with a reinforcing rib defining an elongate, substantially flat upper display surface for removably supporting printed product and pricing information, said upper display surface being partitioned into a plurality of individual sign-supporting supporting areas, said partitioning defined by at least one relatively narrOw and shallow groove extending transversely of said display area.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein the entire hanger is formed from one piece of integrally molded plastic material. 